‪The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition judges are looking for original stories children will love. First prize is a publishing contract, a £10,000 advance and literary agent representation. It’s open internationally until 28th February: www.chickenhousebooks.com/submissions/... See MoreSee Less

I loved writing at school - almost as much as reading&period; I went to university to study English&period; Reading the great writers made me feel I was presumptuous to want to write&comma; so I stopped - except for keeping a journal&period;&NewLine;Happily&comma; I did a correspondence Journalism course at 35 and started to write again as a freelance writer&period; I wrote magazine short stories and feature articles for newspapers and magazines&period; I knew&comma; then that I was meant to be a writer&period; &NewLine;After 15 years as a freelance writer&comma; I penned my first novel&period; Novels are what I now write&period; I’m busy with my fourth&period; &NewLine;I understand that there is a place for the contemporary novels I write&period; We can’t all aspire to write a classic or a Man Booker prizewinner&period; &NewLine;I wish I’d understood that at university&period; However&comma; I am so grateful that I took up my pen again in my 30s&period; I hope I am spared to write at least five more novels&period;

So true&period; I stated that my target market for my first novel was&colon; mature professional women&period; I had wonderful feedback from gay men&comma; some twenty-somethings and a handful of octogenarians&excl;

‪The Bristol Short Story Prize is open for entries from published and unpublished writers internationally. Submit your entry by 1st May for an opportunity to win the top prize of £1,000: www.bristolprize.co.uk... See MoreSee Less

The Berlin Writing Prize is open. Writers around the world can submit up to 3,000 words of fiction or nonfiction on the theme of “The Circus” by 30th June. The top prize includes a one-month residency in Berlin’s Circus Hotel and more. www.thereaderberlin.com/writingprize2019/... See MoreSee Less

The 2019 Berlin Writing Prize is now open for submissions&excl; Until the closing date of June 30&comma; 2019&comma; we invite entries on the theme "The Circus" from both published and unpublished writers resident anywhere in the world&period; Up for grabs is a one-month residency in a luxury apartment in one of the world'&period;&period;&period;

Agree&period; Observing others and&comma; yes&comma; trying to feel their pain has been the inspiration for one of my three novels and my current WIP&period; The next two I’m planning will definitely also be written from empathy&period;